Commissioner Kevin Wolff authored the proposal that would consolidate RMA and county operations and, he said, save money. County Manager David Smith would oversee the RMA operations and staff if commissioners approve the measure.

“This is really about increasing efficiency, decreasing bureaucracy and levels of government, bringing the (RMA) operations closer to elected control,” said Wolff, who sent a letter about the resolution to RMA Chairman Bill Thornton on Thursday — the first time Thornton said he got wind of the plan.

“This doesn't have anything to do with their performance (at the RMA),” Wolff said. “It has to do with the simple fact that there are redundancies, additional costs, that I don't think need to be here.”

The Alamo RMA, which has a staff of nine and an annual budget of $1.6 million, was created to fast-track road construction, primarily by using tolls as a way to pay for projects in the face of budget shortfalls.

It also guaranteed local control over the road projects and, more important, ensured that toll revenues stay in local hands.

But the Alamo RMA has yet to build any toll roads, its efforts hamstrung by lawsuits challenging tolls and the federal government's decision to yank environmental clearance on its first toll project, prompting the launch of new environmental studies that have dragged on for years.

The immediate and long-term effects of the proposed resolution remain murky: The RMA, created by the Texas Transportation Commission in 2003 at the request of Bexar County commissioners, is the only local authority with the power to issue toll revenue bonds. It also has exercised primacy over U.S. 281 and Loop 1604, meaning it has the right to build projects on those roads, both toll and nontoll, before any other entity.

Transferring those powers would require state legislative action, which can't happen until next year's session.

His resolution includes no timeline for the transfer of responsibilities to the county. It does not spell out what this could mean for the RMA's staff, which includes its executive director, Terry Brechtel, a former San Antonio city manager.

It's also unclear if the proposal could have any negative effect on the long-awaited environmental clearances on the expansions of U.S. 281 and Loop 1604, the latter of which will be complete by January. No road construction can begin until those clearances are received.

“The initiative for this is Commissioner Wolff,” Thornton said Friday. “I think the concerns — legal, financial, operational concerns — are at this point unanswered.”

The RMA is not completely independent of the county or the state: County commissioners appoint the authority's six-member board; the governor names the chairman. Giving Bexar County the power to appoint the RMA chairman also would require legislative action.

At the time the RMA was created, county commissioners said they had no veto power over the board, prompting the entity to change its name from the Bexar County Mobility Authority to the Alamo RMA.

If the resolution passes, Thornton has called for the creation of a joint working group to discuss the impact of handing over operations to the county.

“I am not going to oppose any initiative by the Commissioners Court, particularly Commissioner Wolff,” Thornton said. “I will request that we all have our eyes wide open and we fully understand the benefits of what we're doing and the cost to ongoing projects and future powers and future revenues.

“I really like local control over planning and local control over revenues,” he said.

There are eight regional mobility authorities in the state. The one in Austin, called the Central Texas RMA, employs a staff of 17, oversees a $31.4 million operating budget and operates 13 miles of toll roads.

Most of Alamo RMA's budget comes from TxDOT grants and loans. Because it still doesn't operate any toll roads, it doesn't collect revenue, and the agency has been unable to pay back outstanding loans from the city and county.

TxDOT in particular, Wolff said, will save money if the resolution passes.

“Do I think TxDOT can see some savings if we are able to consolidate those things into our existing infrastructure? Absolutely,” he said.

The resolution comes at a critical time. The RMA plans to issue a request for qualifications for a project on Loop 1604 in the next two months. The authority is currently overseeing construction of the interchange at Loop 1604 and U.S. 281. on the North Side.

It also comes two weeks before a vote locally and by the Texas Transportation Commission on a plan to build expressways on U.S. 281 and Loop 1604 that would includes a mix of nontoll and toll lanes.